Timing device



y 5- H. POWELL 2,048,198

TIMING DEVICE 7 Filed June 5, 19:55 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 .ZYGEI- FIG I- WITNESSES: V INVENTOR 6 7mm Poulelz 7. I BY y a" ORNEYS.

July 21, 1936. H. POWELL TIMING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: ifilrry Powell, BY

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Patented July 21 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT" orslcs ammo, nnvrcs mm Powell, Philadelphia, Pa. Application June 5, 1935, Serial No. 25,109 8 Claims. (Cl. 200-38) This invention relates to timing devices designed for governing the operation of various kinds of apparatus, particularly radio receivers and the like.

Broadly considered, my invention is directed toward the provision of a simple and reliable means operated by a clock movement and capable of being set to cause the apparatus to. begin functioning at any desired predeterminable hour and to continue functioning for any desired preiliary hand for coordination with the dial of the" clock movement and time switch means to con- .trol an electric circuit, -a. single element whereby said auxlliaryJhand may be set to indicate the time of starting of the governed apparatus and 5 whereby the. switch means may be seiectively set to predetermine the duration of the operation of the apparatus.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will bemanifest from the detailed 30 description following ofthe drawings, wherein Fig. I shows the front elevation of a timing device conveniently embodying the present improvements, in a form suitable for automatically controlling the operation of radio receivers and as the like.

Pig. II shows the rear elevation of the device. Fig. III is a vlewwith the front of the casing of the device removed to show the mechanism at the interior. V 40 Fig. IV is a fragmentary view taken. as indicatedby the arrows IV-IV in Figs. I and III. Fig. V is a detail view of one of the time switch elements embodied in the mechanism.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary detail plan viewed as 45 indicated by the arrows VIVI in Figs. III and L and v Fig. VII is a viewon alarger'scale corresponding to Fig. IV and showing diagrammatically the electriccircuit of the timing device.

'50 Ashereindelineatedmyimprovedtimingdevice comprises a'casing I which is preferably of rectangular configuration and formed from bake lite or other dielectric material.- Housed within the casing'i is a'clock movement lwhich, except it ashereinafter noted, may beof conventional conrings IIII.

struction, said movement having a minute hand shaft 3, and an hour hand sleeve 4 rotating independently about said shaft. Both the shaft 3 and the sleeve 4 extend outward throughan opening 5 in the front wallG of the casing I for attach- 5 ment respectively of the minute and hour hands I and 8 (Figs. I, IV and VII) which overtravel a dial 8 on said front wall. The illustrated clock movement is ofthe spring actuated type adapted to be wound by means of a key I0 (Fig. II) which is 10 accessible at the back of the casing I, there being also, as ordinarily, a knob II for setting the clock hands I and 8.

In addition to the hands I and Ii there is provided, in accordance with my invention, an aux-. l5 iliary hand I2 on still another sleeve I! which, in turn, is independently rotatable about the hour hand sleeve 4. Secured to the inner end of the sleeve I3 within the casing I is a disk of insulating material which forms a part of the 20 rotary time switch means, said disk having four spaced inset concentric rings I5, I6, I1 and It on one face thereof. Fast on the sleeve I3 h'nme-' diately forward of the disk I4 is a miter gear pinion I9 wherewith a similar'pinion III -.on the 5 lower end of a stem 2| is adapted to mesh, said stem being frictionally engaged in a bearing sleeve 22 secured in the top wall 23 (Fig. III) I of the casing I by means of a clamp nut 24 which opposes'a head 25 at the top of said sleeve. At 0 stem ii is formed with a circumferential groove 21 for engagement by a laterally-projecting tongue II on a vertical slide 28 which is slotted at its opposite ends for guidance by' headed studs 30 secured in the front plate II of the clock movement 2. As further shown in Figs. III, IV, VI and VII, the slide 20 carries a-current-carrying brush 3! which bears against the front face of the disk I4, and which, by axial movement of the stem II, is shifted radially of said disk so that it can be brought into contact with any one of the Past on-the hour hand sleeve 4 adjacent the disk. is another disk 33 of dielectric material. which constitutes another part of the rotary time switch and which has an inset metallic sector 34 on its frontal face (see Figs. IV, V and As showm one side 'edge-of-the sector It is straight, while the other side edge is stepped,

with resultant fonnlfldiof portions ll. 35.131

and 38 of different circumferential widths respectively in line with the rings -|5-|l on the disk l4 and respectively corresponding in this instance to fifteen, thirty, forty-five and sixty minute periods. During rotation of the disk 33, the sector 34 wipes against radially-aligned spring brush contacts 20, 40, 4| and 42 respectively extending from the rings |5|l of the disk I 4 at radial distances corresponding to the allocation of the portions 35-34 of the sector 44. As shown, the sector 34 is integral or continuous with a concentric ring 42 on the hub of the disk 33 upon which a current-carrying brush 44 bears, said brush being supported, with interposition of suitable insulation (not illustrated), by a screw 45 onthe front plate 3| of the clock movement.

Associated with my timing device is an electric cord 46 which enters the back of the casing I through a bushing 41, see Fig. II, and which, at its free end, is fitted with a plug 48 for insertion into a socket (not shown) ofan electric power line. Set into the backof the casing I (Fig. II) at one of the top corners, is a conventional form of a manually-operable cutout switch 49 having a toggle lever 50 to actuate a swingable springinfluenced circuit closing member 5| whereof the ends overreach terminal studs 52 and 53 fixed in a dielectric supporting disk 54. The timing device is further fitted with a double plug receptacle 55 whereof the heads 5 and 51 project outward through conformative openings in the back of the casing I. One of the two heads 56 and 51 of the receptacle 55 is intended to be used for connection of a. radio receiver or other apparatus which is to be governed, while the other head may be used for connection of an electric lamp or the like. As shown in Figs. III and VII, the lead 460. of the cord 48 extends to the circuit closing member 5| of the toggle switch 49, and the other lead 46b to corresponding sides of the two receptacle heads 5 and 51. the other corresponding sides of said receptacle heads being connected, by a conductor 58, with the brush and the fixed contact stud 52 of the cutout switch 49. Still another conductor 58 connects the brush 32 with the fixed contact 53 of the cutout switch 49.

The operation of my timing device is as follows: If it is desired to have the radio receiver or other governed apparatus functon automatically, say for a period of an hour beginning at 12 oclock, the lever 50 of the cutout switch is thrown to bring the circuit closing member 5| into engagement with the contact stud 53 of said switch. -With this accomplished, the rod 2| is axially depressed in the bearing sleeve 22 until the miter gear wheel 20 at the lower end thereof meshes with the miter gear ll as shown, whereupon said stem is turned to bring the auxiliary hand l2 into line with the numeral twelve on the dial 9, also as shown. When the stem 2| is positioned as just explained, the brush 32 on the slide 29 bears upon the ring ll of the disk |.4. Incident to rotation of the sleeve II, the radially-aligned brush contacts 24, 40, 4| and 42 of the disk H are brought to such position that the metallic sector 34 on the disk 22 will .begin to .make contact. therewith at the instant when the hour hand points to the numeral twelve on the dial 9; .This contact is maintained for a period of sixty minutes while the portion 38 of the sector vJ4 wip past the brush contact 42 of the ring l8 of the disk |4 upon which the brush 32 is set. puring described interval, electric current will fiow from the supply source through the lead 440 of the cord 44, the circuit closing member ll of the cutout switch 49, the contact stud 53, the conductor is, the brush 32, and from thence through the ring ll of the disk II, the brush contact 42,the.

sector 34 of the disk as, the brush 44, the conductor 8, the receptacle head '4 and the redisk dash lines in Fig. IV whereupon the narrower upper portion 35 of the sector 34 will wipe the brush contact 3! during rotation of the disk 14 under the drive of the clock movement 2. Similarly, by shifting the stem 2| so that the brush 32 engages either the rings It or II on the disk H, the radio receiver may be caused to function for thirty or forty-five minute periods. To aid setting of the stem 2|, the latter is provided with suitably spaced'graduations as shown in Figs. I and II.

When the cutout switch 4! is thrown to bring its closure member 5| into engagement with the contact stud 32, it will be apparent from Fig. VH that the electric current will pass directly from the supply line through the receptacle 55 with the timing device eliminated from the circuit.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A time switch comprising a rotating metallic sector connected to one side of an electric circuit; a number of stationary juxtapositioned radially-separated metallic rings concentric with the axis of the sector and insulated therefrom; radially-aligned brush contacts, one extending from each of said rings and adapted to wipe the sector; and a brush connected to the other side of the electric circuit and shiftable radially of the sector axis into contact with any selected one of the rings.

2. A time switch comprising a pair of relatively-rotating .iuxtapositioned coaxial disks of insulation; an inset metallic sector in one face of one of said disks connected to one side of an electric circuit; "a number of radially-separated inset concentric metallic rings on the contiguous face of the other of the disks; radially-aligned brush contacts, one projecting from each of said rings into wiping engagement with the face of the sector carrying disk; and a brush connected to the other side of the circuit and shiftable radially of the face of the ring-carrying disk into contact with any selected one of the rings.

3. A time switch comprising adisk of insulation with an inset metallic sector on one face connected to ,oneside of an electric circuit; a

clock movement; for rotating the disk; a normally,-stationary coaxial rotativeLy-adjustable juxtapositioned disk of insulation with a number of inset radially separated concentric metallic rings on its contiguous face; a series of radiallyaligned brush contacts, one extending from each of the rings into engagement with the face of the rotating disk;'and a brush connected to the other side of the electric circuit and adjustable radially of the normally stationary disk for selective contact with the metallic rings.

4. A time switch comprising a clock movement withminuteandhourhanmandwithananxib" iary hand settable independently of said minute and hour hands; a disk 0! insulation rotating with one of the clock hands and having an inset metallic sector on one of its faces; a juxtapositioned normally stationary disk of insulation fixed in relation to the auxiliary hand and having a number 0! radially-separated inset concentric metallic rings on its contiguous face; a series of radially-aligned brush contacts, one extending from each of the metallic rings and bearing on the face of the sector disk; and a currentcarrying brush connected to the other side of the circuit and shii'table radially oi' the ring disk into contact with any selected ring of said disk.

5. A time switch comprising a clock movement with a shaft carryin a minute hand, a sleeve independently rotatable about said shaft and carrying an hour hand, another sleeve independently rotatable. about the hour hand sleeve and carrying an auxiliary hand, and means whereby the auxiliary hand may be set independently of the clock hands; a disk 0! insulation secured to the hour hand sleeve and having an inset metallic sector on one oi its faces connected to one side of an electric circuit; a juxtapositioned disk of insulation secured to the auxiliary hand sleeve and having a series 0! radially-separated concentric inset metallic rings on its contiguous face; a series of radially-aligned brush contacts, one extending from each of the rings into engagement with the sector face of the sector disk;-and a brush connected to the other side of the electric circuit and shiftable radially of the ring carrying face of thering disk into contact with any one of the rings. Y

6. A time switch in accordance with claim 5, wherein the sector has zones in line with the rings oi a width corresponding respectively to fifteen, thirty, forty-five and sixty minute periods.

7. A time switch comprising a clock movement with an enclosing casing, minute and hour hands coordinating; with a dial at the front of said casing, and an auxiliary hand coordinating with a dial and settable independently of the minute and hour hands; a disk of insulation within the casing rotating with one of the clock hands and havingan inset metallic sector on one of the faces connected to one side-of an electric circuit; a juxtapositioned coaxial disk of insulation within the casing movable with the auxiliary hand and having a number of inset radiallyseparated metallic rings on its contiguous face, a series of radially aligned brush contacts, one extending from each of the metallic rings of the ring disk into engagement with the sector face of the sector disk; a brush connected to the other side of the circuit and shiftable radially of the ring disk into contact with any selected one oi. the rings on said disk; and means accessible at the exterior of the casing for shifting the last mentioned brush as aforesaid.

8. A time switch comprising a clock movement with an enclosing casing, a shaft carrying a minute hand, a sleeve independently rotatable about said shaft and carrying an hour hand, another sleeve independently rotatable about said hour hand sleeve and carrying an auxiliary hand, a disk on the front face of the casing for coordination with the several hands; a disk of insulation secured to the hour hand sleeve within the casing and having an inset metallic sector on one of its faces connected to one side of an electric circuit; a juxtapositioned disk of insulation secured to the auxiliary hand sleeve within the casing and having a series of radially-separated concentric inset metallic rings on its contiguous faces, a radially-aligned series of brush contacts, one extending from each of the rings of the ring disk and bearing against the sector face of the sector disk; a brush connected to the other side of the electric circuit and wiping the ring carrying face of the ring disk; means for setting the auxiliary hand and'for moving the brush radially of the ring disk into contact with any selected ring of said disk embodying a stem axially shiitable and rotatable in a bearing in ayvsll of the casing, said stem having a manipulgting knob at the top and a bevel gear at the bottom capable of being meshed with a bevel gear on the auxiliary hand sleeve and a guide member shifted by axial movement of the stem and carrying said last mentioned brush.

HARRY POWELL. 

